22 
House & Garden 
NOTES on the HANGING of TAPESTRIES 
Their Place in the Decorative 
Scheme 
I. DELANY SMITH 
Norinemi 
In a hall of large proportions where 
the ceilings are high and the paneling 
dignified or in a caen stone hallway, 
that lacks the softness of textiles, a 
tapestry will give warmth and color. 
The hall above, for example, would 
be frigidly dignified without the 
Flemish tapestry hung between the 
doors and the tapestry covered settee 
which is placed before it 
Nothing serves so remarkably as a 
background for antique furniture as 
a piece of good tapestry. The colors 
and depth find a ready correspon¬ 
dence in the texture of the wood. 
Tapestries can be used with almost 
any type of furniture from the Tudor 
to the present style, save in Adam 
rooms when the classical atmosphere 
requires a lighter background 
F OR color value, pictorial interest and air 
of richness few objects that go into the 
decoration of a room can compare with a tapes¬ 
try. But none of these can be fully appreciated 
nor can they fully serve their part in a deco¬ 
rative scheme unless the tapestry is hung right. 
And in the hanging two main points must be 
considered—decorative value and mechanics. 
Tapestries were originally used as arras, or 
portieres at the doors of feudal castles. Their 
weight and texture served to cut off drafts and 
gave the semblance of privacy to rooms. Again, 
they were used for wall decorations, the pur¬ 
pose in which we find them today. 
The Modern Use of Tapestry 
As a decoration they can completely “make” 
a room, although their setting and general en¬ 
vironment should be such that they do not 
dominate it to the exclusion of other furnish¬ 
ings. A good tapestry warrants a good place 
on the walls where its colors, figures and rich 
texture can be fully appreciated. Nothing is 
more effective as a background to bring out 
the coloring of antique furniture, and they can 
be used with practically any type of furniture 
from the Tudor to the present, save, of course, 
Adam rooms with the character of which they 
would be unsuited. 
A small piece of pictorial tapestry should 
never be crowded into a small opening. Only 
when it is so hung as to show the entire design 
does it play its role fully in the decorative 
scheme of a room. 
While tapestries have generally been adopted 
for the drawing room, they are just as con¬ 
sistent for hall use, especially if there chances 
to be a large space on the stair wall where one 
can hang an unusual piece. Caen stone walls 
and marble floors in a large hall require the 
dignity of a Renaissance tapestry showing 
